Apparatus for making coffee, &amp;c.



Patented May 6, I902;

F. w. DALLINGER.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING COFFEE,"&G.

(Application filed Mar. 14, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK W. DALLINGER, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING COFFEE, &.o.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 699,495, dated May 6,1902.

Application filed March 14,1901. Serial No. 51,041. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WV. DALLINGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Making Coifee and the Like; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as'will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improved apparatus for making coffeeor the like.

The object of my invention is to produce an improved apparatus formaking coffee or the like in which the coffee is quickly made by passingthe hot water through the coffeegrounds two or more times and in theprovision whereby superheating of the water and long-continuedapplication of heat is prevented, thus obtaining a decoction from thecoffee free from all tannic acid or other illtasting juices. To theabove end the present invention consists in the improved apparatus formaking cofiee or the like hereinafter described and claimed.

The accompanying drawing,illustratingthe preferred form of my invention,is a sectional elevation.

The steam-chamber 1 is provided with a lid 2, carrying a rubber gasket3, so that the steam-chamber 1 maybe hermetically closed thereby, aclamp i and eccentric lever 5 be ing employed to hold the lid 2 on thechamber 1. Within the steam-chamber 1 is contained an opendecoction-chamber 30, which consists of a cylindrical vessel providedwith an outlet at its bottom extending up to near the top of thesteam-chamber and out through the side of the latter. The outlet isconstructed as follows: A pipe 6 leads from the bottom of thedecoction-chamber, extending along the bottom, up inside of the chamber,and out through a connection 7, provided with a threaded sleeve 8,adapted to be screwed onto the connection 9, secured in the wall of thesteam-chamber opposite thereto, thence out through the discharge-pipe10. The threaded sleeve 8 permits the connection '7 to be disconnectedfrom the connection 9, so that the decoction-chamber may be removed fromthe steam chamber for purposes of cleansing. Inside of thedecoctionchamber is a coffee-holder 11, which is preferably designed tohave about one-half'the cubical capacity of the decoction-chamber, itsside walls being cylindrical and equidistant from the walls of thedecoction-chamber. It is provided at its bottom with a distanceflange 12and at its top with a conical flange 13, which flanges loosely engagethe inside of the decoration-chamber and support said coffee-holder inproper position in the decoctionchamber. It is to be noted that theflange 13 merely aiiords a support for the coffee-holder in thedecoction-chamber and is not capable of preventing the passage of steamor air therethrough in the operation of the apparatus, as hereinafterset forth, and as a consequence that the decoction-chamher and thesteam-chamber are always in direct communication with each other. Thebottom 14 of the coffee-holder is provided with a nozzle 15, which fitswithin a correspondingly-shaped hole in the bottom of thedecoction-chamber which leads to the pipe The codee-holder is providedwith a false bottom 16 of perforated sheet metal, and the sides of thecoffeeholder are provided with bands of perforations, the first band 17extending from the bottom of the holder upward about one-sixth 5-) ofits height and the second band 18 beginning at a point about one-sixthof the height of the holder above the first band and being about thesame width as the first band. The holder is provided with a bail 19, bywhich it may be lifted from the decoctionchamber.

The operation of my improved apparatus for making coffee or the like isas follows: Let it be assumed that the capacity of the apparatus is twogallons. A quart of boiling water is poured into the steam-chamber. Apound of finely-ground (preferably not powdered) coffee is put in thecoffee-holder. The height of the dry coffee in the holder should beabout even with the top of the upper band of perforations therein. Eightquarts of boiling water are now poured slowly into the coffee-h0lder.The wetting of the "coffee swells it, and it'rises with the inflow ofwater and is suspended loosely in the water, so that the coffee extendspretty well up toward the top of the coffee-holder. The water poured inpasses through the coffee in the coffee-holder, out through the bands ofperforations 17 and 18 into the annular space between the coffeeholderand the decoction-chamber, and fills both the coffee holder and thedecoctionchamber nearly to the top of the latter. It will thus be seenthat most of the water has passed entirely through the coffee once. Itis immaterial if all of the water does not pass entirely through all ofthe coffee at this time, the object being to have substantially all ofthe water passed through the coffee at this time. I am not able exactlyto state how the relative positions of the bands of perforationsoperate; but experiment has conclusively demonstrated to me that thisarrangement of perforations is more satisfactory in operation than anyother arrangement. I believe the absence of perforations between .thetwo bands conduces to the flow of the water through the lower bands ofperforations and provides sufficient pressure of water to force thewater into the lower part of the coffee and out through the lower bandof perforations, whereas if the perforations were contained in a singlecontinuous band the water would escape through the upper perforationswithout affording sufficient pressure to penetrate the coffee oppositethe lower part of the perforations. I believe the absence ofperforations above the upper band of perforations causes most of thewater to flow through the upper band of perforations into thedecoction-chamber, whence it subsequently passes in through the lowerband of perforations and again through the grounds in the dischargingoperation. Then the lid is put on the steam-chamber and fastened by theyoke and clamp, and heat is applied to the bottom of the steam-chamber,whereby steam is generated in the steamchamber. This steam presses uponthe liquor in the decoction-chamber, and when it rises to a sufficientpressure it will force the water both from the outside and from theinside of the coffee-holder, again down through the coffee in thecoffee-holder and out through the pipe 6, and discharge it into a vesselprovided to receive it. It is to be noted that in the operation of myapparatus the only communication between the decoction-chamber and thepipe 6 is through the coffee-holder. At this time, therefore, the wateris a second time forced through the coffee and without excessive orlong-continued heating of the decoction in the presence of thecoffee-grounds. These two passages of the water through the coffeeextract in a short time all the excellent qualities of the coffee andproduce a coffee of a strength greater than that which would be securedby ordinary means. I have demonstrated that with the same quantity ofground coffee I can produce a decoction of equal strength with thatusually produced by the percolation process of making coffee in a smallfraction of the time ordinarily required for that purpose.

It is immaterial to my invention what size or capacity of vessel is usedor what means of heating is employed. It will be understood that theprincipal features of my invention are that the coffee is made withextreme expedition, that the coffee produced in a given length of timeis strongerin proportion to the quantity of ground coffee employed thanany process known to me. and that the coffee is purer, extractingcaffein without releasing the tannic acid.

While I have described my invention as an apparatus for making coffee,it is to be understood that it is by no means specifically limitedthereto, as the same may be employed in making various kinds ofdecoctions from herbs or the like; nor is my invention limited to theparticular form of apparatus employed except where in the claims I haveso specifically limited it thereto, as my invention in its broaderaspects contemplates any equivalent form of apparatus for making adecoction of vegetables.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States- 1. An apparatus for makingcoffee or the like, having, in combination, a closed steamchamber, adecoction-chamber in said steamchamber, and a coffee-holder within thedecoction-chamber, said coffee-holder beingprovided with a pipe leadingfrom its bottom upward and out through the side of the steamchamber nearits top, said decoction-chamber being in communication with saidsteamchamber and cofiee-holder, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for making cofiee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber, a decoction-chamber in said steamchamber, and acoffee-holder within the decoction-chamber provided with a pipe leadingfrom its bottom, said decoction-chamber being in communication with saidsteam-chamber and cofiee-holder, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination, asteam-chamber, a decootion-chamber, a coffee-holder in saiddecoction-chamber provided at or near its bottom with perforationscommunicating with the decoctionchamber and provided with a pipe leadingfrom its bottom, substantially as described.

4. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber, a decoction-chamber in said steamchamber, acoffee-holder within the decoction-chamber provided with a pipe leadingfrom its bottom upward and out through the side of the steam-chambernear its top, substantially as described.

5. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber and a decoction-chamber in said steam-chamber havingcommunication with the steam-chamber above the levels of the liquidsadapted to be contained in both chambers, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus for making cofiee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber, a decoction-chamber in said steamchamber havingcommunication with the steam-chamber above the levels of the liquidsadapted to be contained in both chambers, and a coffee-holder in andhaving communication with said decoction-chamber, substantially asdescribed.

7. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber, a deeoction-chamber in said steamchainber havingpressure communication with said steam-chamber, and provided with anoutlet through the steam-chamber for the discharge of the decoction, anda coffeeholderin and having communication with said decoction chamber,substantially as described.

S. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination, aclosed steamchamber, a decoction-chamber in said steamchamber, acoffee-holder in and having communication with the decoction-chamber anda pipe passing through the decoction-chamber, leading from the bottom ofthe cofieeholder upward and out throughthe side of the steam-chamber,substantiallyas described.

.9. An apparatus for making coffee or the like, having, in combination,a decoctionchamber, a coffee-holder in said decoctionchamber providednear its bottom with separated bands of perforations affording the onlymeans of communication for liquids between the coffee-holder and thedecoction-chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK W.'DALLINGER. Witnesses:

ALFRED H. HILDRElI-I, HORACE VAN EVEREN.

